I know I have written about body butters before and how to DIY them and such which is one of my fave things to do but I also love to find small companies who take the time and consideration to start a business where they care just as much about what you put on or in your body as you do yourself. Veritas Vegan Organics is one such company.
I found Veritas Vegan Organics on Facebook of all places. I know I shouldn’t be surprised by this but I stumbled upon Veritas in a networking forum on Facebook where you generally find an overwhelming amount of direct sales and spammers. Veritas products stood out clearly. I mean my ears perk anytime I see the words vegan, organic, or body butter. I decided I had to know about this company mostly because of my obsession with body butters but also because if this was a legitimate organic vegan company with great products that I needed to share.
After receiving my samples of body butters and soap I couldn’t resist using them right away. I had 2 body butters to try lavender and coconut! Two of my favorite scents. I won’t deny that the butters are a bit oily, to me, which normally aggravates me but I soon found out that the butter absorbs into your skin quickly and didn’t ruin or stain my clothes. My favorite thing to do is put the butter all over my feet then put socks on and go to sleep. When I wake up my feet feel amazing! What I also notice is that over time my skin felt and stayed softer. What I thought was “oily-ness” really just absorbed into the skin to help maintain its moisture which is something that I have an issue with because I do tend to wash my hands/shower a little often. This can strip your skin of its natural moisture very quickly.
If you like to get to know your companies the way I do then you must read the About Us page! Try them out and let me know how you like their products and their company! So far I must say I am in love!

I have recently been working with an amazing group of local small business owners at The Wading River Local Market located in the loft space of Thrifts and Gifts 302 North Country Road Wading River NY 11792. The market is open Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm and some Fridays as well.
Each week this market brings together different local businesses to try to revamp the stagnating business district in Wading River. The market is a great way to help support your local farms through purchasing fresh produce/dairy/breads and even plants and flowers. You can get hand made jewelry, scarves, hats, soy candles, pet treats and so much more!
Every weekend the market tries to bring in new and different vendors to help spread the word about great small businesses right in your area. We are always looking for new vendors so if you or someone you know is looking to participate send us an email at Wadingriverlocalmarket@hotmail.com.
This weekend December 14th we are hosting a wine and cheese socail and announcing raffle winners!! Tickets are $1 or if you bring in a non-perishable food item you get a ticket for free!! We have set up adorbs gift baskets for you to win for the holidays and all of the proceeds go to the local food bank.
Visit us on Facebook or on Twitter to learn about the latest updates on events, specials and local news!

It has been a long time since I have had a contest so I figured now is an excellent time to get back on the ball. I found these super cute Mandrill Candle Holders quite some time ago and think they are a great addition to any ones home. The artist, Putu Oka Mahendra makes his art in memory of his mother. He has this set of candle holders and other beautiful home decor items as well. I like Putu’s style and artistry. I think many of you would enjoy his style which is why I have decided to give away a set of his Mandrill Candle Holders. I have also given you some interesting information on what exactly a mandrill is because they are not only interesting they are kind of really cute to boot! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!!

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a primate of the Old World monkey (Cercopithecidae) family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the drill. It is found in southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo. Mandrills mostly live in tropical rainforests and forest-savanna mosaics. They live in groups called hordes. Mandrills have an omnivorous diet consisting mostly of fruits and insects. Their mating season takes place from June to October.Both the mandrill and the drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus. The mandrill is the world’s largest species of monkey. Charles Darwin wrote in The Descent of Man that “no other member in the whole class of mammals is coloured in so extraordinary a manner as the adult male mandrills.” The mandrill is classified as vulnerable by IUCN. The mandrill is the most colorful primate. It has an olive green or dark grey pelage with yellow and black bands and a white belly. Its hairless face has an elongated muzzle with distinctive characteristics such as a red stripe down the middle and protruding blue ridges on the sides. It also has red nostrils and lips, a yellow beard and white tuffs. The areas around the genitals and the anus are multi-colored, being colored red, pink, blue, scarlet, and purple. They also have pale pink ischial callosities. The coloration of the animal is more pronounced in dominant adult males. Both sexes have chest glands which are used in olfactory communication.
To enter the contest all you have to do is comment below with what kind of animal you think is interesting enough in real life to be made into a piece of home decor for your your home and why! The contest ends August 31st! I will announce the winner via Facebook so make sure you are a Fan or you will miss out. As per my usual contest rules the winner has 48 hours to contact me with their contact information so that I can ship them their candle holders. If I don’t hear from the winner in 48 hours I will choose a new winner right away. You don’t want to miss out on this great contest! Free shipping in the US only. International shipping fees apply.

I have been seeing this craft around everywhere and really like it. I think this is a super fun project that makes really creative ideas. Easter has a ton of pretty colors to make fun swirls out of. If you have any kind of paper that you have been wanting to use and didn’t know what to do with it now here is your chance. I found this great Easter project from one of my favorite websites FamilyFun.com

1. First, create a simple landscape scene on the note card by cutting grassy hills and/or patches of garden soil from the colored paper and gluing them in place. Or, have your child draw or color a scene.

3. Glue the ends of 2 gray or brown strips together to form a single extra long strip. (Note: A toothpick comes in handy for applying the glue.) Wrap that strip around the paintbrush handle or skewer.

4. Slide the finished coil off the handle or skewer and let it expand into a circle that’s about 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Apply a drop of glue to the end of the strip and stick it in place. Gently pinch the top of the circle to form a raindrop shape. This will serve as the rabbit’s body.

5. Next, use a 12-inch strip to make a 3/4-inch circle and use it to create a teardrop shape for the rabbit’s head. Tear an 8-inch length from another strip and make a smaller teardrop for the rabbit’s foreleg. Set the remaining gray or brown strips aside for now.

6. For each of the rabbit’s ears, coil one of the pink strips into a circle and then pinch both the top and bottom. If you like, wrap a piece from the remaining gray or brown strips around each ear and use a couple spots of glue to secure it.

7. Use 2 of the white or tan strips to create the rabbit’s large hind feet in the same manner you did the ears.

8. Finally, use an 8-inch length from the remaining white or tan strip to coil a small tight circle for the tail.

9. For carrots, coil strips of orange paper (6 to 8 inches long). Pinch the bottom of the circle and then pinch the upper circle in two places. For carrot tops, simply fold short strips of green paper in half to form a V shape. Apply a bit of glue near the fold to hold the shape and then loosely coil the ends of the strip.

10. For the finishing touches, add a big round sun to the upper corner of the card. Then draw motion lines under one of the rabbit’s feet so that he appears to be “thumping,” and have your child print his or her holiday greeting inside.

Since it is still summer and the weather is sunny and warm an outdoor craft is a great idea to keep the family entertained! I found this spiffy little idea on one of my fave sites FamilyFun.go.com. I think the portable golf course is the cutest idea ever! If you like it enough you can bring the course with you to parties to share with friends and family. You might even inspire them to make a course of their own.
If you are a teacher this could be an excellent project for your students. The children can make and decorate their own courses and get really creative with other things they have around the house.

Supplies:

3-liter plastic soda bottles
Colored tape
Markers
Cardboard
Cardboard tubes
Duct tape
Glue
Paint
Any decorations you want to add to make them more yours ie glitter, ribbons anything lying around the house that could be used as a decoration.

Directions:
1. Trim the bottom off a 3-liter plastic soda bottle, then cut out an arched hole (approximately 3-1/4 inches wide and 4 inches tall) in the base.
2. Use colored tape, paint, markers and anything you want to decorate and number the bottles.
3. Fold a 3- by 11-1/2-inch piece of cardboard around the bottom of a long, sturdy cardboard tube (like a wrapping paper tube or poster/document tube). Wrap duct tape around the two pieces to secure them together, then wrap the rest of the tube.

I was looking for some summer crafts to do since we decided against our garden this year as our outdoor fuzzy friends refuse to even give the garden a chance and everything we have tried doesn’t keep them out. I still love me some greenery and didn’t want to slack while the weather is so nice. I have been seeing succulents and succulent projects all over the place. After much searching I have found a project that I love love love!!
Since it is summer and I know everyone knows at least one person who goes to the beach regularly and collects shells why not make great use of them. You have used sea shells as decorations before but why not as a planter right? This is an excellent way to upcycle! You can give the the conch shell planters away as gifts, do it as a party craft or even save it for next school year for a craft project. Conch shell planters can make beautiful decorations for inside or outside of your home. You can brighten up your office even! Here is all you have to do:
1. get and clean a conch shell
2. buy a pot or if you already have a pot of succulents you can use them
3. spoon

Make sure your conch shell is clean and big enough to give your succulent room to breath. You can really use any plant you want if succulents aren’t your thing. I am really into the look of succulents lately here in NY you don’t really see them very often as decor. I really like the look of them and there happens to be a wide variety to work with. Use your spoon to gently dig the plant out by the roots. Once the roots and plant are out add a little soil to the bottom of the shell to make sure the roots will be covered. Add the plant then the rest of the soil. Make sure the soil and plant are packed tight enough to not fall out and there you have it! Your conch shell planter is ready. I have seen some crafts where you can add wire or twine to hang the planter which is also a super cute idea!

Shaggy Dog Recycled Metal Planter is way too cute not to have!! This is great now for the warm weather. You can keep the Shaggy Dog planter out side and bring it in when the weather gets cold. The recycled metal planter is perfect for an office or house warming gift. The Shaggy Dog planter adds adorable personality to your garden, porch or indoor sanctuary. You can even play some tricks on your pets if need be! You can get this awesome planter by clicking right here! As usual every purchase from The Animal Rescue Site goes to help animals in need.

Fathers Day is around the corner and you know how they love handmade gifts from their loved ones. Handmade gifts and ties right? They always want ties. Here is a creative and yummo way to show Dad that you love him.

1. For each shirt, top a cracker with a rectangle of cheese or cold cut.
2. Next, cut shirt details, such as a collar, pocket, tie, or button seam, out of olives, cheese, peppers, cold cuts or pepperoni.
3. Use thinly sliced scallions or dots of yellow mustard for buttons.
4. Get creative with it. You can make other things as well that remind you of dad. Cut out a wallet or a mug maybe a television.

Dad will get a kick out of your creativeness. It will be yummy too. You can try other foods such as hot dogs, pretzels, bread, ketchup, anything really. You can make a bunch of Dad shaped things.

The winner didn’t claim their prize so we are running the contest again!! The contest begins today and ends on January 27th.
We love Novica.com for introducing us to super cool stuff made by some super cool people. The Distant Lands Cell Phone Carrie is made by Anchalika Chamnan who celebrates the colorful artistry of the Akha hill tribe people with this stitched phone carrier. Cross-stitch patterns recall the images that decorate traditional costumes. Each is sewn of cotton and lined, featuring a coconut shell button.
All you have to do is like me and don’t forget to share so your friends get a chance to win too! The winner has 48 hours to give me their contact info to where I can send their prize as well as send the shipping costs to my Paypal account. If in 48 hours I do not hear from the winner we will just start the contest over! Have fun and I hope you enjoy! Click here to enter!
If you want us to send you an additional gift friend us on Facebook at The Green Beagle and follow us on twitter twitter.com/thegreenbeagle. Once you have done this comment below and we will send you something special with the Distant Lands cell phone carrier.

I think I have mentioned before how I love writing letters and sending cards which isn’t the greenest of approaches to correspondence but I go out of my way to find the green-est stationary I can get my hands on. I do my part and send out actual stationary only when I need to express that personal touch that e-mail/e-cards cannot display.
While searching for some invitations for a family member’s upcoming baby shower I came across Twisted Limb Paperworks unique designs. Twisted Limb’s handmade paper is just as unique as the company. You should be happy to know that the paper is made here in the USA which is a quality I will never get enough of. The colors and texture are much more fun than you can find in boring old mass produced stationary. Just feel one sheet of Twisted Limb paper and you will immediately see a difference. You can see the care and love put into producing Twisted Limb products. This paper isn’t made for the sake of cutting down tree’s it is an alternative to a necessary evil that will probably plague the world for quite a few more years.

About Twisted Limb Products (you can read more about Twisted Limb Paperworks by clicking here):
■Eco-friendly: We want you to fall in love with any of our designs knowing that they have the highest environmental integrity possible. The paper we make and use is the very best from an environmental standpoint or we don’t carry it. Except for the eco-friendly vellum, which is 30% PCW recycled and processed chlorine-free (best available), all paper that you receive from Twisted Limb Paperworks is 100% PCW recycled and processed chlorine-free; most are also manufactured carbon-neutral. Learn more about our sustainable business practices.
■Artisan-crafted in the USA: Our handmade paper and invitations are carefully made from start to finish in our colorful carbon-neutral art studio in Bloomington, Indiana

If you must purchase stationary or have an event that requires invites do your part and support businesses that support our environment, better yet that support our environment and our country! Did I also mention that they support your wallet by not charging a million dollars for their beautiful products?? Twisted Limb Paperworks goes out of their way to make beautiful, high quality stationary for their customers so go out of your way to do the right thing and choose green! You don’t be disappointed.